Deepika Padukone's 8-Hour Shift Request Isn't New, Says Siddharth P Malhotra: 'Kajol, Rani Did It Too'
Siddharth P Malhotra supports Deepika Padukone's 8-hour shift demand, reveals Kajol and Rani Mukerji made similar requests years ago. Calls media chatter 'publicity'.
Last month, reports surfaced that Deepika Padukone had opted out of Sandeep Reddy Vanga's upcoming film Spirit, allegedly due to working condition concerns—including a request for an eight-hour workday. The development came eight months after the birth of her daughter, Dua Padukone.
Weighing in on the matter, filmmaker Siddharth P Malhotra—who helmed Junaid Khan's debut film Maharaj and directed Rani Mukerji's comeback film Hichki—stated that such requests are not new and have existed in the industry for years.
'We finished Hichki, the whole film, in 28 eight-hour shifts," Malhotra told IANS. 'Whether it was Rani (Mukerji), the kids, the cameramen or the spot boy, everyone finished in that time."
Hichki, produced by Yash Raj Films, marked Rani Mukerji's return to the screen after the birth of her daughter Adira in December 2015. Recalling that emotional period, Rani had said, 'For 14 months, I have been there in front of her face. So I kept asking myself, 'Is it going to be worth it?'" She even confessed to 'howling in the car" on her first day back on set.
Malhotra explained that every project comes with its own expectations and timelines, but the concept of eight-hour workdays isn't unprecedented. 'It's been happening for years. When I'd shot with Kajol in 2010, she used to do eight-hour shifts. She made it very clear she'd either come from 10 am to 6 pm, or 7 am to 2 pm, or for an eight-hour shift at night. Rani also did the same. Deepika isn't demanding anything new."
Kajol recently supported the same practice in an interview with PTI, stating, 'I didn't work for 20 or 30 hours. I was always very clear that we would work a certain amount only, and my mom (veteran actor Tanuja) also backed me up big time on it."
Addressing the controversy around Deepika's exit, Malhotra added, 'If I need an actor and am confident I can finish the film within those working hours, I'd work with them even for six hours a day. This isn't actor-specific. People are just gaining publicity in the name of Deepika Padukone. She's asking for family time, what wrong is she demanding?"
He also remarked that if Vanga required longer hours from his female lead, the director could always adjust the schedule accordingly or cast someone else. 'If the director can't accommodate the timeline, they can simply choose to work with another actor," he said.
Following Deepika's reported exit, director Sandeep Reddy Vanga has signed Animal breakout star Triptii Dimri as the lead opposite Prabhas in Spirit. The film, backed by Bhushan Kumar's T-Series, is scheduled to release in cinemas next year.
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